This small guide from Schiffer is a great overview into what pieces made up the key looks from the Forties to the Sixties. Chapters are split into the types of items the author is looking at, which range from slips and nightwear to shoes, sunglasses and bags.

The book is marketed as a price guide, but given that the prices are in US Dollars and the book was written in 1996, I don’t hold out any hope of these being accurate.

Although I think this book serves its purpose as a guide to key pieces of fashion from these periods, I was very disappointed with the photography and presentation. The clothes are not modelled on either a person or a mannequin, but rather have been laid out (often in a crumpled manner) and are mostly badly lit to boot.

With this in mind I would class this book as one for reference rather than inspiration.